In a Canadian exclusive, the Sun’s Kurt Larson sits down with Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber at Toronto’s downtown Westin Harbour Castle ahead of Saturday’s MLS Cup final between Toronto FC and the visiting Seattle Sounders. The league’s head honcho dishes on everything from Canadian content to league expansion to his ‘disgust’ for how Toronto FC’s top players have been treated during these playoffs. So strap in. Boil a fresh pot of tea. And enjoy Garber: Unplugged.

Q: Garber on the coordinated “f— you” chants TFC’s Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore received during these playoffs:

A: I was disgusted, quite frankly. It’s OK to be passionate about your club, but to target two players who have been the core of the U.S. men’s national team and have done everything in their power to help grow this sport and our league, to turn on them with the vitriol that some of them did, I thought was bad sportsmanship. I spoke to a number of players in different leagues who said it was unprecedented. It’s one thing to say, ‘I don’t like you because you play for our enemy.’ It’s another thing to use that as a way to disparage these great American players who have done such an enormous amount for our U.S. program. I apologized to both of them. I said, ‘I’m really disappointed you had to go through that. On behalf of this league that you helped build, I apologize.’ Both of them said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous. We’re big boys. It’s not the first and not the last time. But I appreciate the call.’ The calls were short. I just wanted them to know I was thinking about them.

A: I’ve always believed Canada was a real soccer nation and had a passion for the sport that America is continuing to develop. When I come up here there are soccer highlights on televisions, across multiple networks. There’s a unique demographic here in this country that has soccer as an important part of its culture. We’ve been able to capitalize on that early on in Toronto and now that’s carried over to Vancouver and Montreal. Canada is one of the key drivers of the success of Major League Soccer. I’m encouraged every time I come up here and see the relevance of the teams and the media coverage they get — which rivals other teams here. I’d like to see that kind of coverage down in the U.S.

Q: Garber on the stability of the Montreal Impact:

Last year was a great season for the Impact. This year, with their new TV deal, the ratings were up 10-15% from where they were in their previous partnership. Things are improving there. Montreal is a unique sports market. It’s a unique city in North America. When it works, it works really, really well. We saw that last year during the playoffs and the attendances for both (Toronto and Montreal). (Owner Joey Saputo) has to put a winning team on the field. I have a lot of faith in him. He’s a passionate soccer guy. He loves Quebec. He loves Canada. He’s an engaged member of our board. We’re going to be just fine in Montreal.

Montreal Impact President Joey Saputo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

A: Our league is evolving. We’ve got a number of different goals in order to be the league we want to be. One of those goals is to continue being more competitive with our neighbours in Mexico. Another one of those goals is to capture the fans in our respective cities that are connected to larger clubs. You have to make decisions as a league to manage that while staying focussed on stability and managing growth. That’s what we’re going through now. We had really strong TV ratings for our games up here and our playoffs. Columbus has shown that being a spender in and around the Vancouver level can be competitive if you’re smart. I don’t have concerns yet about disparity. If it becomes too much of an issue, the uniqueness of our system is our owners can come together and change that. We’re focussed on understanding that. That’s the beauty of our structure. It’s not just one owner making a decision. It’s our owners together.

Q: Garber on the Canadian Premier League:

A: We’re like everyone else, trying to understand what it is. I have a good relationship with (CSA President) Steve Reed and (CSA General Secretary) Peter Montopoli. Both of them will be at the game. I know that Victor Montagliani, when he was president, wanted to have more professional opportunities for young Canadian players. It’s still developing. Our clubs are interested in understanding how this might impact their second teams, which are very important for the development of their clubs and their player programs. We will get closer and closer with the CSA and look forward to seeing how it all unfolds.

Former CSA President Victor Montagliani and CSA General Secretary Peter Montopoli. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power

Q: Garber on the length of Major League Soccer’s season:

A: If I could wave a magic wand we’d prefer to not have our MLS Cup in the middle of December. The last four MLS Cups have been in Kansas City, Columbus, Toronto and Toronto — northern cities where the temperatures have been hovering around (freezing). It speaks to how complicated building a soccer league in North America is because you have so many pressures on the schedule and weather changes and challenges with the travel that we end up producing the best possible schedule with all of the other factors that weigh into our competitive format … It’s going to be very difficult to do anything more than tweak it around the edges unless we dramatically change our format — that could be a split season or having enough southern cities as we expand and can play in February or early March in those cities and load their home games so that you can come into your northern cities in the spring. But where we are now we’re doing the best we can.

Q: Garber on Major League Soccer’s playoff system:

A: I think the playoff format has been good. Our television ratings and our attendances were record-setting this year. People are getting used to it. I still hear concerns from the none-core soccer fan about the away goal rule. I think if you’re going to play the game the way the world plays it then you have to play it that way. That said, if we were to go to a single-game series I wouldn’t be opposed to (losing the away goals rule). But I also believe our fans deserve to host a playoff game if they get there. It’s another example of conflicting pressures. Ultimately you make the best possible decision. The bottom line is that our ratings were up and our attendance was up dramatically … I would give a couple of fingers off my hand to eliminate that November (FIFA) break. I don’t believe they’re changing it. The question is: Can we end our season before it? That would require us to have fewer games or change our format or start at a time of the year that’s unmanageable.

A: During one of the presentations I took a step back and said I can’t believe that we’re sitting here, listening to a city that, two years ago, hadn’t dreamed of being in the soccer business. Now, the movers and shakers in their city and the mayor and all of the other stakeholders that want to bring MLS to their particular market are there, trying to convince us that they’re more worthy than three other cities. That’s such a far cry from where we were when Toronto came into the league in 2007. There’s been dramatic growth. We had more cities interested in this first round than we had teams in the league in 2002. I think we’ll end up with two great cities in this first round and two great cities in the second round (of expansion) and it will continue to allow us to geographically connect our clubs so we can have a more national fan base.

Q: Garber on Tim Leiweke’s concern for Miami expansion bid:

A: Miami continues to be a priority for us. David (Beckham) had an option (in his contract to put a team in Miami) that we’re going to honour. But from the beginning, we insisted he have local partners and a finalized stadium plan. It’s been years of activity and energy to try to get that to the finish line. That market has been harder than any other market in the U.S. or Canada. We are focussed on it. I believe we’ll get something done. Nothing to be announced here today. I’m highly confident we’ll have a team in Miami and we’ll be able to announce something in time. The news would be if we were walking away from it. We’re not.

A file photo taken on February 5, 2014 shows former England and Manchester United star, David Beckham during a press conference at the Perez Art Museum Miami, in Miami, Florida. AFP PHOTO / Alexia FODEREAlexia Fodere/AFP/Getty Images

Q: Garber on the Columbus Crew potential relocation saga:

A: Any time you contemplate moving a team it’s difficult. No league wants to do it. In all cases it’s a decision of last resort. You can imagine that we wouldn’t be thinking about it if we didn’t think there were real challenges in Columbus that we’ve been struggling through for many, many years. Their attendance and revenues are at the bottom of the league — last or next-to-last in almost every measure. We’re taking a step back and asking how long can that continue and still ensure that the Crew can be viable. That led the owner to pursue an opportunity in Austin (Tex.) while at the same time saying he’s open to working with the City to see if there are any ways that (he) might be able to have a partnership where (he) can be more successful. He’s stated he’ll work on a parallel path. There’s clearly been challenges in terms of getting the city and the ownership to work together in a way that can be productive. I’ve tried to do what I can to help facilitate them coming together in a more productive way. Right now I’m not sure we’re at that point, but I’m confident if everyone gets in a room there might be an opportunity for the team to stay. But, at the same time, (owner) Anthony Precourt needs to see if there’s an opportunity for him to move that team in a way that will allow it to be more successful.

Q: Garber on a potential team in Austin, Tex.:

A: Austin is one of the few cities in America that doesn’t have a professional sports team. It’s a very young, culturally-important city. It’s been on our radar for many years. That doesn’t mean Columbus is moving, but it’s a good prospect.

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